Gladly
by FullMentalPanic
Summary: When there's pain or frustration or delays, keeping your eyes on the ideal will see you through it. Star Gazer Prompt [Twelve Shots Of Summer: Second Raid]


**Gladly**

"It is very important," her majesty murmured, leaning slightly forward. "To let the angle of your chin show the level of your interest."

"Grandma, wasn't this already covered in poise?" Her highness, Queen Amelia, leaned back in her chair, the level of her chin buried in her collar.

"My dear, there is always room for refinement. Now," her majesty straightened so that her entire throat was exposed. "Let us begin with regal aloofness as an opponent suggests a ludicrous proposal."

Lionel was in the very room where national policy was debated and decided. He kept a firm hold on his excitement and scrutinized the surroundings. The chamber was richly decorated in the 18th century Genovian style, except it was largely pink. Traditionally, the color scheme would've run more along dark plum and silver.

Her highness, Queen Amelia, groaned and slumped into the depths of her Von Troken era chair. Before their bids for the throne, the Von Troken rise to power had begun with an impressive foray in the furniture industry. Some nobles still considered them New Money.

"Amelia, a queen must never neglect affairs of state. However, it is also paramount to keep one's mind sharp during such proceedings and practices." Her majesty motioned Brigitte forward, and the maid set out a tray lavishly adorned with imported cheeses and chocolate, local fruit, and fresh bread. It would cost half of Lionel's weekly paycheck to set up that kind of spread, and he would gladly give it if it would help sustain the monarchy.

"Oh," Queen Amelia sat up. "I suppose it won't be a complete wast of time then."

Lionel completed a slow visual circuit around the room, making sure there was nothing that would interrupt their majesties, as either an annoyance or a threat. He'd been relentlessly shadowing the regular bodyguards, gleaning whatever knowledge he could. Asking direct questions seemed to be breaching some protocol he wasn't aware of as the other servicemen always got nettled and cagey after the second question mark. Being forced to detect and reason out what was standard behavior for someone in his position would hone his awareness and understanding. However, it did come with problems.

The room was on the second floor of the palace, not close to any tall trees, but sturdy ivy did grow past several of the windows. Should he routinely be looking out of the windows or would that just make him an unnecessarily obvious target if someone of ill intent was trying to sneak in? Shouldn't he make sure he was the first target even if that was the case? Was it better just to keep a clear view of all possible entrances to the room and have his weapon ready and his eyes open? There were balconies on some of the other rooms on this floor and the one above it. Would someone be able to attack from there or was there another guard watching those locations?

There were codes he could whisper through his earpiece if something dangerous or suspicious happened, but he wasn't sure who else was assigned to this floor. If he couldn't see their faces, would he be able to tell if one of them was acting out of character and might actually be an imposter? As a rookie, these were the concerns that rolled around in his mind as he did his best to perform his job. Doubtless there were already measures in place to take care of any apparent vulnerabilities he'd thought of, he just hadn't pinned them down yet.

"Grandma, we've gone through a hundred and eighty different degrees of angles. Are we done yet?"

"A fine start. Now if you can stop schlumping your shoulders we'll make some definitive progress."

At which point their majesties would likely start talking about the state of affairs of their country. Queen Amelia was still relatively fresh from university. Still going through higher education himself, Lionel was already straining at the bit to apply some of the things he'd learned. Economics, business, political theory; with everything Queen Amelia would likely have knowledge of with her completed education, he could hardly imagine the self-control it must be taking for her to wait until the ideal moment to act on her learning.

"Ooh, grandma, when did we switch over to this brand of tea? It's awful."

"It was a gift from the recent delegation from Thailand. This variety is quite prized in the region."

"Mmm, yeah, can I just have water?"

Personally, he hadn't decided for certain what field he would be going into. He did know that he wanted to do something in service for Genovia, whether as a full time occupation or hobby. Taking courses similar to what the nobility needed to understand the country and international relations would keep things open in the public and national sector.

If he had any intention of achieving a position of leadership he needed to be willing to put his life on the line. Genovia didn't have a standing military, so he had applied for royal bodyguard. He had absolutely no right to direct the lives of others unless he was willing to give his time, his focus, and his life.

"Lionel, could you hand me that glass over there?"

He poured a cupful and passed it to the Queen's hand. The other part of knowing where to give your life's energy was knowing when to support a leader. There were times when protecting the person in front of you wasn't just about saving that single life, but guarding and preserving the whole country. For that, he would gladly take a bullet.

"There was an evening party tonight, wasn't there, grandma?"

"Yes, it is an occasion worthy of using a selection of the crown jewels."

* * *

A/N: One of the few characters I liked from the second film, and everyone seemed to think his self-sacrificing attitude and dedication were silly. It was very irksome.


End file.
